Space Applications Centre Indian Space Research Organisation

Ahmedabad

January 2011 www.sac.gov.in

National Wetland Inventory and Assessment

High Altitude Himalayan Lakes Sponsored by Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India

Map showing elevation ranges of India and surrounding area

Under the “National Wetland Inventory and Assessment” project Sponsored by Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India

INFORMATION NOTE SAC/ESPA/NWIA/IN/03/2010

High Altitude Himalayan Lakes

3D perspective view of Tso Kar Lake, Jammu & Kashmir

S. Panigrahy, J. G. Patel, T. S. Singh and T.V.R.Murthy

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BACKGROUND : The Himalayan region is dotted with hundreds of lakes

from low elevation to the high elevations. Many of the

lakes of Himalaya are fresh water ones, with or without

inflow and out flow. The Himalayan lakes show varying

chemistry in terms of solutes, bio-geochemistry, and

mineralogy vis-à-vis eco-hydrology of the lakes. These

are primarily related to enormous altitude variation

governing the climate, vegetation, lithology, tectonics and

type and intensity of erosion/ weathering at source.

The mountain lakes, caused by glacial activity, are

termed as tarns by geographers. Tarns are found mostly

in the upper reaches of the Himalaya, above 5500 m.

The high altitude lakes are fed by snow-melt, precipitation

and springs whereas lakes of lower altitudes receive

water from local rains, through streams, Nalas and

springs. Many large lakes of Lesser Himalaya are fault

basin lakes formed due to tectonic activity resulting in

blocking of the streams/rivers during Holocene period.

These have main source of water through precipitation

and underground springs. Such lakes are found in

Kumaun, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu. The Higher

Himalayan lakes of Spiti valley, on the other hand, are

fed by snow-melt, precipitation and spring water flow.

The high altitude lakes are mostly oligotrophic unlike the

low altitude lakes, which are in various stages of trophic

state due to strong anthropogenic influence, the high

altitude lakes are still have a pristine environment.

High altitude lakes, apart from their ecological

significance, play crucial role in biodiversity, wildlife

habitat and socio-economic aspects. The high altitude

lakes in Ladakh are the only breeding grounds for

migratory bird species like the Black-necked Crane and

Bar-headed Goose in India. Local communities living in

the region are dependent upon the lakes for their

livelihood regardless of whether they are settled or

nomadic. Pasture lands near the wetlands are used for

grazing livestock. In Ladakh about 90 percent of the

economy of local nomadic communities, near the lakes,

depend on their livestock which graze on wetland

pastures.

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Some lakes like Tso Moriri (Jammu and Kashmir) and

Manimaheshwar (Himachal Pradesh) are regarded as

sacred and are revered by thousands of pilgrims each

year. The largest lake in the Himalayas is the Pangong

Tso, which is spread across the border between India

and Tibet. It is situated at an altitude of 4350 m. It is

nearly 134 km long and width of 8 km. A notable high

(but not the highest) lake is the Gurudongmar in North

Sikkim at an altitude of 5148 m. Other major lakes

include the Tsongmo Lake, near the Indo-China border in

Sikkim (India). Two high altitude wetlands in India have

been designated as Ramsar sites. These include Tso

Moriri in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and Chandratal

in Himachal Pradesh. NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY AND ASSESSMENT :

Mapping of wetlands at 1:50,000 scale using satellite

remote sensing data and creating a geospatial data base

was taken up by Space Applications Centre under the

project “National Wetland Inventory and Assessment

(NWIA)’ sponsored by Ministry of Environment & Forests.

IRS P6 LISS III digital data having four spectral bands:

Green, Red, Near Infra Red, and Short Wave Infra Red

with spatial resolution of 24 m was used. Two-date data:

one acquired during pre-monsoon and another during

post-monsoon period was used to decipher the status of

wetlands during wet and dry period. The outputs include

the wetland boundary, the water spread in pre- and post-

monsoon season, area under aquatic vegetation, and

qualitative turbidity of water.

A classification system based on IUCN/RAMSAR

definition and amenable from remotely sensed data was

used to categorise the wetlands. Total 19 types of

wetlands were delineated using a hierarchical system.

This classification includes inland and coastal wetlands at

level-I followed by level-II comprising natural and

manmade wetlands within level-I, which were further

categorised into 19 types of wetlands at level-III. High

Altitude Wetland (HAW) is one of the class mapped,

which is first such attempt in the country.

IRS LISS III FCC showing the distinct signature of high altitude lakes during pre-monsoon season

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INVENTORY OF HIGH ALTITUDE LAKES : All lakes lying above 3000 m elevation are designated as high altitude ones in this work. Mapping of the lakes is done at 1:50,000 scale. Small lakes (<2.25 ha area ) are also mapped as point features and assigned 1.0 ha nominal area.The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) derived from ASTER/SRTM data was used to generate elevation contours and classify the lakes as per altitude range. Spatial database of these lakes was prepared at state, district and topographic map sheet level using coding system, where each lake has a unique identification number. Lakes give unique signature on the satellite images, Depending upon the state of water whether liquid phase or frozen, the boundary of the lakes are prominent and can be discerned with high accuracy. The pre- and post-monsoon images reflect the status of water, vegetation and state (solid/liquid).

High Altitude lakes in various states (frozen, semi-frozen and liquid) as manifested on LISS-III imagery

Number, Size and Altitudinal Distribution of Lakes The Indian Himalayas cover approximately 591,000 km2 or 18 per cent of India's land surface and spread over six Himalayan States viz Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and some parts of West Bengal. Total 4703 lakes are mapped which lie above 3000 m elevation. This includes 1996 small lakes (<2.25 ha area). The total area of high altitude lakes is 126249 ha. The lakes categorised under various sizes, show that there are only 12 lakes belonging to the very large size category having more than 500 ha area. However, they contribute to highest share of lake area (75.61%). Number wise, the smallest size lakes (<2.25 ha) have the largest share (42.44%), followed by very small ones (<10 ha) with 42.33% share.

Size-wise distribution of high altitude lakes

Sr. No.

Class Range No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1 Very Large > 500 ha 12 95462 2 Large 100-500 ha 30 4861 3 Medium 25-100 ha 179 7434 4 Small 10-25 ha 495 7559 5 Very Small < 10 ha 1991 8429 6 < 2.25 ha < 2.25 ha 1996 2505

Total 4703 126249

Distribution of lakes as per size

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Altitude-wise, maximum numbers of lakes are observed in the elevation range of 4000-5000 m. There are 2642 lakes (56.2% of total number) mapped in this elevation range with 100817 ha area (79.9% area). Very large lakes are also observed in this elevation range. Only 761 lakes are mapped in the very high altitude range of >5000 m elevation.

Distribution of lakes as per altitudinal range in Himalaya (high: 3000-4000m, higher: 4000-5000m and very high: >5000 m).

Altitude-wise distribution of high altitude lakes in Himalaya

Sr. No.

Category Altitude range (m)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1. High Altitude 3000-4000 1300 8460

2. Higher Altitude 4000-5000 2642 100817

3. Very high Altitude >5000 761 16972

Total 4703 126249

State-wise distribution Two states: Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh harbour very large number of high altitude lakes. Jammu

and Kashmir has the highest share of lakes. Number-wise, around 44.7% of lakes (2104 number) are found in this state with 87.2% share of total area. Arunachal Pradesh with 1672 lakes contributes 9.4% of area, indicating small size of the lakes. Only 3 lakes are mapped in West Bengal state with 82 ha area (contributing to 0.06% of total lake area).

Distribution of high altitude lakes in Himalayan states, India State-wise distribution of high altitude lakes in Himalaya

Sr. No. State No. of

lakes Lake area

(ha) % Lake

Area 1 Arunachal Pradesh 1672 11863 9.40

2 Himachal Pradesh 272 617 0.49

3 Jammu and Kashmir 2104 110131 87.23

4 Sikkim 534 3325 2.63

5 Uttarakhand 118 231 0.18

6 West Bengal 3 82 0.06

Total 4703 126249 100.00

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Jammu and Kashmir :

IRS AWiFS FCC (November 2006) of Jammu & Kashmir Total 1143 lakes are mapped at 1:50,000 scale and 961 small lakes (<2.25ha) are mapped as point features, taking the total number of lakes to 2104. Altitude wise distribution of lakes showed that maximum number of lakes (1221) is in the elevation range of 4000-5000 m. This state also have highest number of lakes situated in very high altitude range of >5000 m.

Altitude-wise distribution of lakes in Jammu & Kashmir Sr. No.

Category Altitude Range (m)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1. High Altitude 3000-4000 468 3104

2. Higher Altitude 4000-5000 1221 92390

3. Very high Altitude >5000 415 14637

Total 2104 110131

Size wise distribution showed that, among the lakes mapped as polygons, maximum number (848) are in the range of <10 ha area, followed by lakes of the size of 10-25 ha area (182). However, this state have all the 12 large lakes (>500 ha area), found in the Indian Himalaya. Size-wise distribution of high altitude lakes in Jammu & Kashmir

Sr. No.

Class Range No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1 Very Large > 500 ha 12 95546 2 Large 100-500 ha 23 4015 3 Medium 25-100 ha 78 3292 4 Small 10-25 ha 182 2842 5 Very Small < 10 ha 848 3475 6 < 2.25 ha < 2.25 ha 961 961

Total 2104 110131 The Pangong Tso is at a height of 4350 m above sea level is the largest lake in Ladakh. It is a saline lake. Tso Moriri and Tso Kar are two important lakes, saline in nature are also located in Ladakh. Tso Moairi has been designated as Ramsar Site. Some of the other important lakes in the region are, the Neelang Lake in Budgam, Patlong, Thaled, Longzang, Pangor etc.

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The Pangong Tso in Ladakh, India, the largest high altitude lake as seen in LISS III FCC and a scenic photograph of the lake. (The Pangong Tso spread across India and China as seen in IRS LISS III FCC. Lake area in India is 29345 ha, altitude: 4350).

LISS III FCC showing the Tso Moriri lake – a Ramsar site (wetland area: 14530 ha, altitude: 4650m). Below: photograph of the lake showing the pristine environment.

Tsokar lake as seen in LISS III during post-monsoon (note the salt encrustation- A)

China

China

India

A

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Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh is the easternmost state of India with geographical area of 81,424 sq km Total 1672 high altitude lakes were delineated. The total area under these lakes is 11863 ha, accounting for about 7.6 per cent of total wetland area of the state. Maximum number of lakes are of small size (below 10 ha). There are no lakes of very large size (>500 ha) in this state.

IRS LISS III FCC showing numerous high altitude lakes in Arunachal Pradesh ( below: photograph of some of the lakes in Tawang district: courtesy- Dr S Mehta).

Altitudinal distribution pattern of these lakes showed that highest concentration is in the range of 4000-5000 m elevation range. Size-wise statistics of high altitude lakes in Arunachal Pradesh.

Sr. No. Class Range No. of

lakes Area (ha)

1 Very Large > 500 ha - - 2 Large 100-500 ha 3 363 3 Medium 25-100 ha 77 3170 4 Small 10-25 ha 251 3916 5 Very Small < 10 ha 900 3974 6 < 2.25 ha < 2.25 ha 441 441

Total 1672 11863 Map showing distribution of lakes in relation to elevation gradients in Arunachal Pradesh

Distribution of high altitude lakes in relation to elevation gradient in Arunachal Pradesh

Sr. No.

Category Altitude range (m)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1. High Altitude 3000-4000 789 5178 2. Higher Altitude 4000-5000 864 6636 3. Very high Altitude >5000 19 49

Total 1672 11863

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Sikkim : The total geographical area of the state is 7,096 km2. High altitude lakes accounting for 40.79 per cent of the total wetland area. Total 534 lakes are identified with 3325 ha area. Total lakes mapped as polygons are 259 with 3050 ha area. In addition 275 small lakes (<2.25 ha) are mapped as point features. Maximum number of lakes are of very small size (<10 ha). Unlike Jammu and Kashmir, large size lakes (>500 ha) are not observed in Sikkim. Size-wise statistics of high altitude lakes in Sikkim

Sr. No.

Class Range No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1 Very Large > 500 ha - -

2 Large 100-500 ha 4 511

3 Medium 25-100 ha 20 885

4 Small 10-25 ha 55 823

5 Very Small < 10 ha 180 830

6 < 2.25 ha < 2.25 ha 275 275

Total 534 3325 Gurudongmar Lake is a well known high altitude lake of the state. It is located in North Sikkim district at 5243 m elevation, and is considered a sacred lake. Chholhamu Lake, also in North Sikkim district, at 5300 m elevation is the highest lake in India. The lake is located near Donkiala Pass. It is the source of the river Teesta (Tista). Tsomgu Lake is another important tourist destination in Sikkim.

Satellite image showing the Gurudongmar Lake in frozen and liquid state (below: photograph of the lake in June). Altitudinal distribution shows that maximum numbers of lakes are found above 4000 m elevation. Distribution-wise, North Sikkim has the maximum number. There are only 6 lakes in the elevation range of 3000-4000 m. Distribution of high altitude lakes in relation to elevation gradient in Sikkim

Sr. No. Category Altitude

range (m) No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1. High Altitude 3000-4000 6 19 2. Higher Altitude 4000-5000 323 1209 3. Very High Altitude >5000 205 2097

Total 534 3325 .

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Map showing distribution of lakes in Sikkim in relation to elevation gradient ( > 3000 m).

April 2006 January 2006

Tsomgu Lake as seen in IRS LISS III data and the photograph of the lake in June

Himachal Pradesh :

Himachal Pradesh is almost entirely mountainous with

altitudes ranging from 460 to 6600 meters above sea

level. Total 272 high altitude lakes were delineated

constituting 617 ha area that accounts for less than one

per cent of total wetland area of the state. Maximum

number of lakes (230) are of very small size (<2.25 ha

area). There are no lakes above 100 ha area. Altitudinal

distribution pattern of these wetlands showed that highest

concentration is in the range of 4000 to 5000 Meter

elevation range. Chandratal is the most famous high

altitude lake in the state. This beautiful lake is situated at

4300 m, in Lahaul and Spiti district. This is the source of

river Chandra. Manimahesh Lake at 4080 m lies in Budhil

valley of Chamb district. Annual Manimahesh Yatra takes

place after Janamasthami, in the month of August. Suraj

Tal Located near Baralacha pass in Lahaul part of Lahaul

and Spiti district at a height of 4980 m, is the source of

Bhaga river. Dashair Lake at 4270 m lies near Rohtang

pass which connects Kullu with Lahaul and Spiti.

Size-wise statistics of high altitude lakes in Himachal Pradesh

Sr. No.

Class Range No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1 Very Large > 500 ha - - 2 Large 100-500 ha - - 3 Medium 25-100 ha 3 146 4 Small 10-25 ha 5 80 5 Very Small < 10 ha 34 161 6 < 2.25 ha < 2.25 ha 230 230

Total 272 617

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Altitude-wise statistics of the lakes in Himachal Pradesh

Sr. No.

Category Altitude range(m)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1. High Altitude 3000-4000 27 68

2. Higher Altitude 4000-5000 167 424

3. Very High Altitude >5000 78 125

Total 272 617

Satellite image showing the Chandratal in semi frozen and melting state (below: photograph of the beautiful lake during July)

Uttarakhand :

In all 118 high altitude lakes were delineated constituting

231 ha area that accounts for less than one per cent of

total wetland area of the state. Among the districts, Chamoli

has the maximum number (14) with 66 ha area, followed by

Pithoragarh district (11) with 62 ha area. Majority of the lakes

are of very small size (<2.25 ha) and mapped as point

features. There are 28 lakes distributed with range of <10

ha category and one lake in 10-25 ha.

Size-wise statistics of lakes in Uttarakhand state

Sr. No. Class Range No. of

lakes Area (ha)

1 Very Large > 500 ha - - 2 Large 100-500 ha - -

3 Medium 25-100 ha - -

4 Small 10-25 ha 1 17

5 Very Small < 10 ha 28 125 6 < 2.25 ha < 2.25 ha 89 89

Total 118 231 Altitudinal distribution pattern of these wetlands showed

that about 67 wetlands exist in the elevation range of

4000 to 5000 m and 44 wetlands exist in the very high

altitude (>5000 m).

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IRS LISS III FCC showing the distribution of high altitude lakes in the Uttarkashi district.

Altitude-wise statistics of lakes in Uttarakhand state Sr. No. Category Altitude

range (m) No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1. High Altitude 3000-4000 7 9

2. Steep Altitude 4000-5000 67 158

3. Very Steep Altitude >5000 44 64

Total 118 231

Kedar Tal/Lake in Uttarkashi district at 4425 m elevation

is a famous one. It is near Gangotri along Kedar Ganga,

a tributary of Bhagirathi River. Shasra Lake is a popular

destination for tourists, situated at 4572m. This splendid

lake is in Uttarkashi district, after crossing the Kyarki Khar

pass. Vasuki Tal/Lake in Chamoli district lies at 4135 m,

near famous Hindu shrine of Kedarnath. Other well

known high lakes in Chamoli district are Rupkund and

Hemkund situated at 4450m and 4329 m altitude

respectively.

Satellite image showing the Kedar tal lake (below: photograph of the pristine lake in June)

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Summary of High altitude wetlands in India derived using LISS III data (2006-7) under NWIA project Sr. No.

Description Jammu &

Kashmir Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand Sikkim Arunachal

Pradesh West

Bengal Total

1 Total Wetland Area (ha) 391501 98496 103882 7477 155728 1107907 1864991

2 High Altitude Lakes (ha) 110131 617 231 3325 11863 82 126249

3 % of total Wetland Area 28.13 0.63 0.22 44.47 7.62 0.01 6.77

Altitudinal distribution of Himalayan lakes in India

Sr. No. State

High Altitude (3000-4000m)

Higher Altitude (4000-5000m)

Very High Altitude (>5000m) Total

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

1 Arunachal Pradesh 789 5178 864 6636 19 49 1672 11863 2 Himachal Pradesh 27 68 167 424 78 125 272 617 3 Jammu and Kashmir 468 3104 1221 92390 415 14637 2104 110131 4 Sikkim 6 19 323 1209 205 2097 534 3325 5 Uttarakhand 7 9 67 158 44 64 118 231 6 West Bengal 3 82 - - - - 3 82 Total 1300 8460 2642 100817 761 16972 4703 126249

Size-wise distribution of high altitude lakes in India

Sr. No.

State

Very Large (> 500 ha)

Large (100-500 ha)

Medium (25-100 ha)

Small (10-25 ha)

Very Small (<10 ha) <2.25 ha Total

No. of lakes Area (ha) No. of

lakes Area (ha)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

No. of lakes

Area (ha)

No. of lakes

Area* (ha)

No. of

lakes Area (ha)

1 Arunachal Pradesh - - 3 363 77 3170 251 3916 900 3974 441 441 1672 11864 2 Himachal Pradesh - - - - 3 146 5 80 34 161 230 230 272 617 3 Jammu and Kashmir 12 95546 23 4015 78 3292 182 2842 848 3475 961 961 2104 110131 4 Sikkim - - 4 511 20 885 55 823 180 830 275 275 534 3324 5 Uttarakhand - - - - - - 1 17 28 125 89 89 118 231 6 West Bengal - - - - 1 60 1 17 1 5 - - 3 82 Total 12 95546 30 4889 179 7553 495 7695 1991 8570 1996 1996 4703 126249

* Nominal assignment

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Database structure of High altitude wetlands created under NWIA project (Example of the 12 large lakes)

Wetland : Name of the wetland, Y: Present, N: Absent, L: Low Aqveg : Status of Aquatic Vegetation Wetcode : Unique identification number 16 digit using State code(2) + District code(2) + Taluka code(2) + SOI toposheet code(6) + Wetland number(4)

Sr. No. Wetcode Wetname Area

(ha) Perimeter

(km) Altitude

(m) Aqveg (Y/N) Turbidity State

1 0107005211090002 Pangong Tso 29345 247.90 4350 N L Jammu & Kashmir

2 0115005213160001 22103 69.98 4890 N L Jammu & Kashmir

3 0107005212050001 Tso Moriri 14530 108.97 4650 Y L Jammu & Kashmir

4 0115005214100002 7026 48.81 5320 N L Jammu & Kashmir

5 0107005211030002 Tso Kar 6179 50.51 4760 Y L Jammu & Kashmir

6 0115006101040002 5556 43.03 4910 N L Jammu & Kashmir

7 0115005214050004 3592 37.27 5325 N L Jammu & Kashmir

8 0107005211140002 3473 40.67 4350 N L Jammu & Kashmir

9 0115005209150005 1939 69.85 4950 N L Jammu & Kashmir

10 0107005212090002 666 14.98 4975 N L Jammu & Kashmir

11 0115006102010001 654 12.21 5060 N L Jammu & Kashmir

12 0107005211080002 526 9.95 4680 N L Jammu & Kashmir

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3D perspective view of part of North District, Sikkim (IRS P6 LISS-IV image draped on DEM)

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3D perspective view of part of West District, Sikkim (IRS P6 LISS-IV image draped on DEM)

18 Some of the Important High Altitude Lakes of India

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Chandratal Lake (Himachal Pradesh) – A Ramsar Site: The Chandertal with its deep blue icy water, surrounded by snow and acres of scree, constitute an important high altitude cold desert wetland of western Himalayas. The lake is in Lahul and Spiti district and situated at an altitude of 4270 metres. The clean water of the lake with small marshy patches around attracts many migratory birds. Important species noted are: Snow cock, Chukar, Black winged stilt, Brahmni duck, Golden eagle and Chugh, Hoopoe, Yellow Headed Wagtail, Jungle crow, Blue rock pigeon, Common rose finch, Black redstart, Short toed Eagle, Common Sandpiper, Teal, Magpie Robin etc.

The important wild life species found in the region are Marmota Bobak, Snow leopard, Red fox, Snow wolf, Capra ibex, Blue sheep, and Lynx.

The herbaceous growth in the catchment area is remarkable for its variety. The important species are Potentila, Ranunculus, Acquilegia, Primula, Aconitum, Aster, Asteraglus, Bistorta affinis,Delphinium, Geranium, Oxyria, Potentilla, Polygonum, Ranunculus, Rosularia, Stellaria, and Thymus species. The common grasses frequently encountered are Poa and Agropyron. These grasses have rich nutritive value.

Wetland map of 5 km buffer area: Chandratal Lake

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Some interesting facts :

A true lake should have some liquid water round the year. Thus, a high altitude lake which freezes solid all the way down to the bottom during the winter may be disqualified as a lake. A true "lake" must occupy at least 1.0 hectare. NASA declares: "At an altitude of 4727 m, Lake Mansarovar” is one of the highest freshwater lakes in the world.

Chholhamu Lake(102.5ha) in Sikkim, at 5300 m elevation is the highest lake in India. It is the source of the river Teesta (Tista). It lies

IRS LISS III FCC showing Chholhamu lake in Sikkim.

Panch Pokhri is a group of three sacred lakes in Nepal about 6 kilometers east of Ama Dablam (the mountain), is the highest named lake in the world The main lake is at 5414 m elevation; the other two lakes are at 5430 m and 5494 m elevation respectively. Panch Pokhri (5494 m) is about 700 m long and 400 m wide.

Lake Namtso in Tibet is the largest high altitude lake in the world. The altitude of Lake Namtso is 4700 m and the surface area is 1940 km2. The very high altitude lakes are generally volcanic ones lying on top of a volcano. However, they are very small in size. The lake at 6,390 m, on the east face of Ojos del Salado, the highest active volcano on the southeast side of the border between Chile and Argentina is the highest lake in the world. It is around 100 m in diameter, circular in shape, thus the surface area is 0.785 hectare. Proper lake (if size is taken into account), "Ridonglabo Lake", around 3.0 hectares in size, lying at 5,801 meters may be called the highest lake. The lake is about 14 kilometers northeast of the summit of Mt. Everest. It's actually in a side valley on the northwest side of the main Karda Valley, where the Karda Glacier ends in Karda Lake. Source: http://www.highestlake.com/highest-lake-world.html

Chhc Chholhamu Lake

Area: 675 ha Altitude: 4150m

IRS P6 LISS-III imagery, Post-monsoon(2006)

This is a complex of shallow ponds, marshes, and wet meadows in broad, sandy valley to the east (10000 ha) and west (1000 ha) of Chusul. The ponds and marshes are created by the springs and streams flowing down into the valley from the Ladakh range to the southwest. The average depth of the ponds here is one or two meters.

The aquatic vegetation found are: Hydrilla, Myriophyllum, and Potamogeton in the ponds, and Carex sp., other sedges, and grasses in the marshes. The surrounding arid steppe is dominated by Caragana sp. This is an important breeding area for several species of waterfowl, notably Podiceps cristatus, Tadorna ferruginea, Charadrius mongolus, Tringa tetanus, and Sterna hirundo. A number of species occur on the surrounding dry plains, including Tibetan partridge (Perdix hodgsoniae), Tibetan sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes tibetanus), and wild ass (Equus hemionus).

3D perspective view of Chushul Marshes and surrounding area, Ladakh Region

For further details please contact: Director Space Applications Centre, ISRO Ambawadi Vistar (P.O.) Ahmedabad – 380015

Email: director@sac.isro.gov.in

Cover: 3D Perspective view of Tso Moriri Lake, Jammu and Kashmir

Back cover: Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim

Adviser Ministry of Environment and Forests Paryavaran Bhavan CGO Complex New Delhi 110003